Race for the Cure 2018: Portland run aims to push breast cancer toward finish line

Portland's waterfront will again run pink when an army of survivors and supporters raises its banners in the fight against breast cancer Sept. 16 during the 2018 Race for the Cure.

Clad in tutus, capes, tiaras and crowns, an expected 10,000 walkers and runners hope to step ever closer to a cure by raising money for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization.

It's the largest annual source of funding for the nonprofit, one of the biggest names in the breast cancer battle. Similar races near and far have garnered millions of dollars to fund screening and treatment services, patient support programs, and research pursuing technologies for early detection and more effective treatments. And along the way, they've helped make the color pink synonymous with the struggle.

"Pink is a wonderful color, and it's our color," said Mikayla Carpenter, marketing and communications manager for Komen's Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter. "But we're beyond the awareness stage, and we want to put that awareness into action."

Though Monday Sept. 10, it’s $39 for adults; $29 for survivors and forever fighters; $24 for youth 5 to 17; $5 for kids 4 and younger; and $14 for dogs. From Sept. 11 to race day, it’s $49 for adults; $39 for survivors and forever fighters; $29 for youth 5 to 17; $10 for kids 4 and younger; and $19 for dogs.

Online registration:

komenoregon.org

Look out for:

A live performance by Dancehall Days, a truck that looks like Optimus Prime from “Transformers,” a breakfast for survivors and forever fighters and the new Pups in Pink cutest dog contest.

Like last year, Portland's race will follow its new riverside route, trading downtown streets for the broad footpaths of Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade. The route crosses the Willamette River via the Hawthorne and Steel bridges and offers views not only of the river, but of what ought to be a continuous circuit of pink flooding the elevated banks.

Racers can choose to walk or run the 5K loop. And since the point of the event is that anyone who wants to be a part of the fight can participate on some level, there also will be a 1-mile family walk. You can even bring your dog.

Dogs were allowed to walk and run beside their humans for the first time in 2017 – a nod to the key roles they play on some survivors' support teams. When spouses and kids go off to work and school, many patients report their dogs being integral to maintaining a positive outlook during their treatment.

Race for the Cure next weekend will cut through Portland's Eastbank Esplanade and across the Steel and Hawthorne bridges.

New this year is the Pups in Pink cutest pup contest, with a $500 gift basket for the grand prize winner.

Participants can register to race and raise funds as part of a team or as an individual by visiting

or the registration tent at Waterfront Park from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on race day. Early registration ranges from $39 to $5 for adults and children, and $14 for dogs. Those prices increase $5 to $10 on Sept. 11. On race day, the pink tide begins at 9 a.m. and should ebb by 11:30 a.m.

Still, Komen will march toward its goal to halve the number of breast cancer deaths by 2026, even after the final racer shuffles off the Portland route. This year's fundraising continues through breast cancer awareness month in October, with plenty of opportunities to donate to the local chapter's $700,000 goal for 2018 or otherwise contribute to this persistent effort.

"We always say the registration fee gets you to the starting line, Carpenter said. But it's participants' fundraising, she said, that will someday bring the breast cancer fight over the finish line.